


Handsome Devil

by Martinhomcst



Category: Handsome Devil (2016), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Fluff, Friendship, Happy Ending, M/M, Musicians, Rugby, Slow Burn, thiammovieaufest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-01 14:24:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13296756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Martinhomcst/pseuds/Martinhomcst
Summary: “Okay, lads, you’ve got ninety minutes. Any subject you like. Your time starts now.”Theo was in the school library, a pad of paper on his desk, and a pen in his hand. ‘Handsome Devil’ It was the title chosen for his essay, so he wrote at the top of the page.‘We’ve all have one thing we’re ashamed of, the memory of one moment so embarrassing we don’t think we’ll ever get over it. A moment that still wakes us at 4 am... sweating. My terrible moment happened, because I was afraid. I was afraid because I lost the only true friend I’d ever known. People do bad things out of fear.’ Theo wrote on the paper as he remembered what had happened some time ago.'But wait, I'll tell this story to you in more detail, just sit back and enjoy it.' Theo thought.





	1. School is a place I definitely don’t want to stay.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to the Thiam Movie AU Fest. I hope you like it. Oh, you'll read the word "eejit" a few times in this fanfic, it's an Irish and Scottish form of "idiot". This is a movie that I really like and I hope to represent it well.
> 
> English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for the mistakes.

Theo was in the car with his father and stepmother. They were taking him to school, where he would spend the next few months with people he did not like, but that was reciprocal because there was no one in that school who respected him either. The day was clear out of the car and he could only see trees along the way, his father was driving and his stepmother was smoking on the bench next to him  _._   _'For me, the good life ended when Mom died a few years back._   _Suddenly Dad married Kate, they were living in Dubai and I was in boarding school, in the middle of nowhere._   _A college where rugby was a religion._   _Where I was persecuted daily.'_ Theo thought, hell was about to begin.   
  
"I mean, legally, you guys should not be able to force me to go to school. Legally, I'm basically an adult." Theo said, arms crossed and face full of discontent.   
  
"You're basically an adult but you're actually like sixteen." Kate said, for the first time taking that fucking cigarette out of her mouth.   
  
"Yes. Sixteen is your current age." Peter, his father said, looking in the mirror of the car. "That's why the idea of us letting you leave school is absurd." He said, this time looking at the road ahead.   
  
Theo leaned forward. "So you're pretty much sending me to jail?" He said with a frown.   
  
"But even prisoners make an effort to fit in. They do jigsaws together, play ping-pong with each other." Kate said, with the cigarette still between her fingers.   
  
Theo clasped his hands in an act of supplication. "Could you please listen to yourself for the briefest of moments?" He asked, looking at his stepmother.   
  
"Excuse me?" Kate said, turning her face to look at him.   
  
"Theo, conforming is part of being a grown up. And letting you leave school early would be sending you to jail, in a way." His father said, taking a hand off the wheel for a moment. "Boys who leave school at your age doom themselves to the life of sweeping up supermarket floors..." He grunted.   
  
_'Dad was obsessed with the guys who swept supermarket floors.'_  Theo thought.   
  
"... and then crime, naturally. Kate, Adam Quinn's boy, he was expelled from school last year and now, apparently, he's a bum in Paris." His father finished speaking, looking at his wife.   
  
"No way. Really?" Theo said in a cheerful tone.   
  
"Yes! Reading his poetry on the Metro for Money. Practically begging. It's desperately sad. So just think about that." Peter said, getting a confused look from Kate.   
  
_'A bum... in Paris!_   _I would have loved that._   _But was I bad enough to get expelled?_   _This year would tell.'_  Theo thought, looking out the window.   
  
His dad stopped the car outside the school. Kate was still sitting in the car along with her life, the cigarette. Peter helped Theo get his bags in the trunk and soon he was looking at the hellish prison he would have to stay. He started walking toward the entrance and looked back a few times, thinking of running away as quickly as possible, but his father was still there, waiting. He saw some boys entering school together and another group playing ball. In front of the school there were a few cars. The entrance was all covered with red flowers and stones, with white windows and doors. Around him, as far as his eyes could see, it was all grass or trees.   
  
He entered school, the walls with light colors and the floor with dark colors, nothing had changed. Some students were running down the hall and two boys were sitting on the stairs beside him, one of them was holding a banjo. All he could hear was the murmurs of the students talking. He started to walk toward the board that indicated the rooms of the students, when he got there he ran his finger on the board, looking for his name.   
  
"Got my own room! Magical." Theo murmured, smiling. At least of that suffering he had been freed, he would not have to put up with any of the other school boys in his room.   
  
"Did you just say you have your own room?" Theo heard a voice behind him. He looked to see a nasty face. "No way. Let me see." The boy stopped beside him to face the painting. "Oh..." he said, looking at the painting.   
  
_'Ladies and gentlemen, my tormentor-in-chief.'_  Theo thought.   
  
"Okay. Maybe the reason you have your own room is so... nobody gets bummed, your know, in the middle of the night." The boy said with raised eyebrows , holding the banjo that Theo was sure belonged to the boy who was sitting down on the ladder.   
  
Theo could feel some students approaching them. He lowered his head with a small smile on his face. "And hello to you too, Brett. I trust the summer treat you well?" He said with the small smile still on his face.   
  
"I trust the summer treat you well?" Brett said, trying to imitate Theo with a bitchy face. That almost made Theo vomit. All the boys around laughed. "You are an utter bender!" He said, smiling.   
  
Theo lowered his head, the smile fading from his face.   
  
"Easy on this fucking lad! I have not seen you in ages." Another student pulled Brett back.   
  
Brett did not take his eyes from Theo, he pointed his finger at him. "All right." He said, turning to start walking.   
  
Theo bent over to retrieve his bags.  _'Back to jail.'_  He thought and started walking.  _'And just like prison, if nobody likes who you really are, then buddy, you better hide yourself away.'_  He thought, looking at the boys in front of him climbing the stairs. Everyone looking at him with a malevolent smile on their face.   
  
As he climbed the stairs he remembered some things that had already happened to him at that school. He was sitting in the front row of the classroom and looking away as the teacher handed in the essays of the other students.  _'Here's an example: for English essays, I stole the lyrics from obscure songs the very old Mr. Deucalion would never know.'_  He thought, watching as Deucalion placed his essay on his desk. A big red 'A' at the top of the sheet.  _'But it was a private joke._   _Nobody else knew the song - or cared one way or other.'_  Theo looked at the essay with a silly little smile on his face.  _'Everyone at Beacon Hills College was obsessed with rugby.'_  He saw a rugby ball fall on his desk and he held it. He put the ball on the floor beside him.  _'And I did not hate rugby, but what happened if you did not love it...'_  He folded his arms and bowed his head, waiting the hell begin.  
  
A boy began to make a noise, as if he were mooing, and all the other boys began to laugh.  _'Yeah... that sound means gay.'_  Theo thought, he frowned and settled into his chair.  _'I have no idea why it means that, but believe me... I heard it a lot._ _'_    
  
_'I should explain.'_  Theo thought, remembering something that had happened. The professor was speaking in front of the group, behind him a male reproductive organ drawn on the board. "... you all recognize this..." The teacher said.   
  
_'Gay means crap, bad or different._   _And the fear of being in any different way ran through our school from top to bottom.'_  Theo thought, he was sitting among the other students. "... ask the lady to dance. And then, you know, you get into a sort of... remember... Right? But do not do that, okay?" The teacher tried to explain, gesturing in front of the students not to touch the girls' butts. "So, any questions?" The professor asked, looking at them.Theo remembered seeing the impatient advisor right behind the students.   
  
_'There were other kinds of school, of course._   _Cool, modern day schools where anything went._   _But not here.'_  Theo thought, remembering the day one of the students wetted a porn magazine and placed it on the ceiling just above the teacher's desk. "Today, we're going to be looking at..." The professor said, entering the room and holding some kind of object Theo did not know. All the students looked up, where the magazine was almost loosening from the ceiling.  _'Talking about sexual identity to anyone in our school that was like staring at the sun.'_  The students continued looking at the magazine. "... anyone have any idea?" The professor asked with a frown. The magazine fell on the table in front of the professor's face and the students began to laugh. The professor looked disappointed.   
  
_'It seemed you could be whoever you liked out in the world.'_  Theo thought . He remembered several times that he heard some boys making that same noise.   
  
_'But our school was not part of the world.'_  He closed the door of his bedroom, leaving all the memories behind and returning to reality. He had finally arrived in his room, where it had two windows and two beds, with two tables with lampshade on top. He took a deep breath. Theo took a shower and put on the uniform, he went to the auditorium where the director would make an announcement.   
  
He had already gotten there, he was sitting with all the other students. Some teachers were sitting on the stage, looking at the students, the principal knocked twice on the microphone before beginning to speak. "Firstly, some sad news. After a short illness, our dear colleague and friend Deucalion has passed on." Stilinski, a former sheriff and current school principal said into the microphone.   
  
"Get in!" Theo heard some boy say next to him. And then some students began to clap and celebrate, all staring at the portrait of Deucalion on stage. Theo smiled, Deucalion was not a bad person, but he was a bad teacher.   
  
"Students!" The director shouted into the microphone. "Which will mean some re-shuffling in the English department. In honor of our recently deceased English teacher, one victorious student will be chosen to represent the school in the National Essay Writing Competition. There is a first prize of five grand..." He said smiling. The students began to celebrate and clap again. Theo was excited, maybe that was his chance, he started to clap too. "... as a donation to the school." The principal finished and everyone made noises of disappointment.   
  
"Now... Rugby!" Stilinski said quietly into the microphone and all the other students began to scream. Theo lowered his head.   
  
_'Did you ever meet an adult who wishes they were a kid again?_   _That was our headmaster, Stilinski.'_  Theo thought, listening to all the students celebrate.   
  
"This school has won seventeen Senior Cups, but it has been a long decade since the last. We have a good crop of players. And the entire school needs to support our fantastic coach, Mr. Scott McCall." The director said, reaching for the coach. He raised his hand and waved to the students.   
  
_'As for this guy, well... rumor had it Scott's wife left him because he was too obsessed with rugby.'_  Theo thought. He looked to the side and saw a woman open the door of the auditorium, a boy appeared next to her, he had brown hair, he stared at the coach with his beautiful blue eyes for a while, before leaving again.  _'And that... that's the guy who changed everything.'_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you can comment, please do, I'd love to read it! ♥


	2. Beauty and fury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ♥

Liam was sitting on a bench outside the principal's office. His mother was talking to the director inside. This was just another school for him, he would try to make things different, but he would not be sure if he could.   
  
He saw a couple of boys running after another. "Oh, let go!" The boy said, before the other two got him up and put him into the bin. Liam smiled, he wished that being in the bin was his only problem. The two boys rushed out when they heard the principal's door open, leaving the boy grunting and trying to get out of the bin.   
  
"This is the perfect school for Liam, what with it being sporty and..." His mother said looking at the principal as they left the room.   
  
The man stopped in front of him, his mother beside him. "Now Young man. Before we show your mother your digs, I need you to promise me something. I am told you left your old school for repeated and persistent fighting." The director said, Liam looked into his eyes for a moment and then lowered his head again. "We're happy to educate you, as long as that kind of behavior remains in your past. Understood?" He said and Liam nodded slightly. "Follow me." The director said and started walking down the hall.   
  
"Get out of that bin, Josh, and cease your egregious play-act!" The director said, as they passed by the boy who was still stuck in the bin.   
  
"Yes, sir. Because it's all my fault." The boy said respectfully and a small tone of sarcasm that Liam could hear.   
  
"Apology accepted!" Stilinski said, not looking at the boy, just walking.   
  
Theo followed him and his mother to the stairs, where they started to climb. Some students were running, but they stopped when they saw the principal. "Our coach Scott McCall is a former pupil. We've got a fantastic crop of players this year." The director said as he climbed the ladder.   
  
Stilinski began to speak something in another language, but neither Liam nor his mother could understand. "It's Latin. Just one more tilt to the title. Training starts tomorrow, do not be late for Scott. A nice boy called Theo is in this room. His parents live in Dubai." The director said, before opening the bedroom door.   
  
The three entered the room slowly. They watched some posters that were glued to the boy's wall. "What kind of boy is Theo?" Liam's mother asked.   
  
"A voracious reader." The director said, before getting into shock at seeing a poster of two men kissing glued over one of the beds. Liam looked at his mother and saw that she was frightened. "Well I'll a... leave you to say your farewells." Stilinski said, before heading out the door, leaving only the two inside the room.   
  
Liam watched the room carefully before he heard his mother begin to speak. "Honey, I'm sorry, your Dad did not make it. He wanted to. He's just-" She'd said, before Liam interrupted her.   
  
"Drunk." Liam said, looking down at the floor. Remembering how often his father came home drunk, he hated it.   
  
"He's busy. He's incredibly busy with work. You know how hard he works, it's flat out..." His mother said, calmly, looking sad.   
  
Liam looked at his mother and she looked at him, they both knew it was a lie, but it was better to accept it than the truth. "Best of luck." His mother whispered, before reaching out and hugging him. She quickly let go of him and left the room. Liam thought he heard her sighing as if she was about to cry, but then she closed the door.   
  
He stood, staring at all the things glued to the walls of the room. Some texts and photos. And even if the sky was a little overcast, the sunshine entered the room gently. He did not care about the posters or even the roommate, he just wanted the year to be better for him and he would try. He remembered that he would have training the next day, so he thought about warming up the body. He quickly took off his sweatshirt and shirt, he leaned on the floor and put his hands to support and then began pushing-up.   
  
Liam heard someone open the door, but he was focused. The person made a noise, trying to gain his attention. He paused in the middle of a push-up and stared at the boy in front of him, standing in the doorway. A few strands of hair fell on the boy's face and his fair skin glowed with the little sun coming through the window.   
  
The boy stood still, just staring at him for a while. "Give me a second." He finally said, holding up a finger and then walking down the hall.   
  
Just then Liam did the pushups again, ignoring what had happened. He kept warming himself inside the room, when he finished just sat in bed. The strange boy had not come back yet. He heard someone knocking on the door, but before he could open some boys entered the room. "You must be Liam." One of them said.   
  
They just wanted to talk about the rugby team and things like that, so Liam realized they were the team and these people he really had to live with. "We heard you were coming. Yes, you're younger than us, but Scott says "If you're good enough, you're old enough." A boy named Isaac said.   
  
"Look, Liam, this is the last year for this dream team, all right. We all leave in the summer. I've been captain twice and I'm not allowed to repeat again, unfortunately. So, we have to win this thing this year." Jackson said, he was the former captain of the team. Liam just listened, not speaking. "I'm being honest with you, I do not think the chance is going to come around again to this school. Training starts tomorrow at six. Do not be late. Seriously. Big no-no." The blond boy said.   
  
Liam realized that someone had come in quietly through the door. The boys looked at him, it was the boy from before. He entered looking at the floor and his hands in the pockets of his pants, saying nothing.   
  
"This is your roommate?" Brett said, looking at him and pointing at the boy who had just arrived. Liam looked away. "God, I was really starting to wonder for a second, I mean... this is a picture of two guys wearing the face off each other, Liam. I mean - Really?" The boy asked rudely.   
  
"That's not mine." Liam said quickly.   
  
He saw Brett climbing up on the bed and raising his hands, after which the other boy held his uniform. "Touch me, homo, and I call rape. Okay?" Brett said, turning to face the other. He turned his attention to the wall, where the poster of the two men was glued and ripped it in the middle.   
  
Liam watched the boy try to hold him with sadness in his eyes, but Brett kicked him, which made the boy almost fall to the ground. Isaac stood up and walked toward them. "Jesus, what's wrong with you? Brett, give it a rest." He said, pulling the boy off the bed and holding him.   
  
"Liam, you're gonna have to seriously consider moving rooms, okay. You're going to get AIDS in here."  Brett said as Isaac released him. "We can not have a teammate giving us AIDS in the middle of a scrum." He said, as he paced the room arrogantly.   
  
"Yeah - I'm not totally sure that's how the HIV virus is transmitted?" Jackson said quietly.   
  
"And, go fuck yourself, Jackson." Brett said, looking at the boy in disappointment. He turned slowly to face the boy Liam still was not sure who he was. "And as for you... You just made..." Brett's Shit List." He said, before turning and walking toward the door, throwing the torn poster on the floor.   
  
The other boys left behind him, one by one were walking out the door. Liam was holding his head low, wondering how people could be such a jerk with someone, he did not know the boy, but they had no reason to do it with someone. "Coming?" He heard Isaac ask calmly, he looked up and then looked at the boy who was still with a sad look. He bent down to get his shoes and walked behind Isaac, leaving the boy behind. When he was at the door he looked at the boy again, he was collecting the pieces of the poster on the floor.   
  
He walked down the hall, toward the principal's room, when he got there he knocked on the door and the director said he could come in. The man was sitting in the chair, looking at him, he explained that he wanted to sleep in another room, but the principal just looked at him confused.   
  
"You were wondering if there's another room you can sleep in. But what's wrong with the room that you already have?" The principal asked, looking at him intently.   
  
"My roommate..." Liam said quietly, then started walking toward the director's desk. "As a new boy, it can be... it can be..." He tried to say, but the principal kept looking at him, questioning him.   
  
"It can be what?" The man asked, frowning.   
  
"It's just... You can be..." Liam tried to say again, but he did not believe it. If he suffered bullying because of it the wrong ones would be the other boys, not him.   
  
"Go back to your room, Liam. Good man." The principal said, giving him a sympathetic look.   
  
Liam just nodded and turned, heading toward the room door. He walked down the hallway thinking how wrong he would be if he changed rooms just because of Theo, the roommate, that did not make sense to him. He reached the bedroom door and sighed deeply, he opened the door slowly. When he came in, he saw that Theo had done something. All the closets were in the middle of the room, a wall between the beds and a paper was stuck to the wall with two arrows written on it. An arrow was turned to the left and above it was written 'Theo' and the arrow to the right was written 'Him'. Apparently sharing the room in two was an easy solution for the boy, there were no more posters on the wall in his side, just his things. On the other side, on Theo's side, the boy had put up all the posters, including what Brett had ripped and had a guitar beside the bed too, but he was not there. Liam just sat on his bed, looking around the room.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Thanks for reading. If you can comment, please do, I'd love to read it. ♥


	3. Maybe school is not so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it. ♥

_'The Berlin Wall was built overnight._   _The world woke up the morning after and there it was._   _Now, I'm not a communist, but there's a lot to be said for acting decisively.'_  Theo thought.   
  
The next day, he was sitting in the classroom, they would meet the new English teacher. He hoped this man was someone cool and different from Deucalion. All the students were murmuring and he was just sitting in his chair, waiting. The teacher came and closed the door hard, the murmurings did not stop, but the students were talking lower this time.   
  
_'Did you know lizards can regrow their tail_ s _?_   _That's how it was in our school with English teachers._   _One dies, another grows in it's place._   _No big deal.'_  Theo thought.   
  
His new roommate was sitting next to him, they had not talked yet and the boy looked apprehensive. Theo heard one of the boys make that noise again at him, he turned to see who it was, Boyd, one of the rugby players.   
  
"Vernon Boyd." The professor shouted and everyone looked at him and they were quiet. "Did you make that absurd noise?" He asked and started looking at the other students, then took a few steps forward. "Age 16. Birthday June. Shoe size eight and a half. Fan of Formula One car racing. Allergic to milk, and therefore all dairy surely." The man said, pausing for a moment to look at the window and then walked again. "Father, management consultant. Mother to stay at home mom. Bed-wetter I'd imagine and a coward for sure. Congratulations, Mr. Boyd. You're today's winner of the witless tool competition." He opened the door and Boyd stood, walking out of the classroom. "Be gone." He said, before closing the door.   
  
Theo felt a shiver in his back as the teacher turned again to face the students. "Anyone else?" He said and bent down in front of one of the students to face his face. "No?" He whispered. "Good. How did I learn all that stuff about Vernon?" The man stopped in front of the boys and opened his arms slowly. "I read it, and I read about each and every one of you similarly. There's no limit to what you can learn... from reading. And with that in mind I'm setting you an essay. The essay is due on Friday, and the title of the essay is... A Family member." He said finally and the students began to complain.   
  
"And before you consider how dull, how asinine the title of that essay is, let me tell you I know how dull and asinine it is and I want you to own the dullness!" The teacher shouted, causing everyone to be quiet again. "Reveal to me... who you are, if you dare. In the meantime, we're going to be reading Lord of the Flies, by Golding. A cautionary tale about giving power to an impressionable mass of fragrant and unkempt urchins. Not that that's ever going to happen in my class. Okay. Books open please, page one." He said, turning to lean against the table.   
  
Theo felt confident, maybe this teacher is not really bad. 'Mr. Hale 'was written on the board, things might be better going forward.   
  
"The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock. And began to pick his way toward the lagoon." One of the students began to read. Theo just watched the teacher stand up and start pacing.   
  
It was already the night, Theo was in his room, apparently his roommate had not been back there yet. He was playing the guitar when he heard someone knock on the door. "Go away!" He shouted, hoping the person would leave.   
  
The person knocked on the door again. "Thank you." He said, getting out of bed with the guitar in his hand to open the door, but before he could open the door opened and he jumped back. To his surprise, Mr. Hale was there.   
  
"Wow!" The professor said, putting his hands up. In one of them was a book.   
  
"Uh, sorry, sir." Theo said, holding the guitar with both hands. "I thought you were a pupil."   
  
"No." Mr. Hale said, looking away from him for a moment, then looking at the wall in the middle of the room, confused. "What's with the Berlin Wall?" He asked.   
  
"That's a matter of necessity." Theo said, sitting up in bed.   
  
"Right. Who's your roommate?" The professor asked, still looking confused.   
  
"Oh, uh, honestly, I do not know." Theo said, holding the guitar in his lap.   
  
"Right." Mr. Hale said, taking a few steps toward him. "Well I've got a delivery for, uh...him." He said, pointing the book toward the other boy's side and then putting the book on the wall. "No way you can make him feel welcome, huh?"   
  
"Yeah, see he's a rugby player so believe me, my friendship would be a hindrance." Theo nodded.   
  
"That's quite a persecution complex you've got going on there." Mr. Hale said, a small smile on his face.   
  
"Thank you." Theo said, lowering his head.   
  
"You gonna let me hear something?" The teacher asked and Theo lifted his face to look at him.   
  
"Well, I can not play and even if I could I don't think I'd play anything you like." Theo said, sympathetically.   
  
"Just play something." Mr. Hale whispered.   
  
Theo smiled and bent his head to look at the guitar. He adjusted his fingers on the strings and with the other hand he moved the strings, making a sound. He repeated this again and again, the same note. He really did not know how to play.   
  
"Okay, so that's 'D'." the teacher said, looking at him.   
  
"That's' D." Theo repeated and played the single note again.   
  
"Is 'D' your only-" Mr. Hale said, but Theo spoke first.   
  
"'D' is my only chord, yeah." Theo said, disappointed.   
  
"I see. Okay, well... Lift your finger up to that one. There." The man came over and straightened Theo's fingers on the strings. "Yep. Now play." He nodded at Theo. "Now you know another chord." He whispered and smiled before walking toward the door. "See ya." He said, closing the door behind him. Theo smiled gently. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. If you can comment, please do, I'd love to read it. ♥


	4. Anger is the only thing I have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it. ♥

Liam was in the locker room. He was late for training, everyone was already on the field and he was still trying to put his boots on his feet. Desperate, he could not ruin this opportunity, everyone had told him not to be late and here he was. He heard the locker door open and looked back, it was the coach. "Sir, I'm really, really sorry. I know I'm late. It's just... I could not find my boots. I thought I put them in my bag and I thought my bag was in my classroom." The coach just kept looking confused at him. "But-"   
  
"Liam, relax. You're new. It happens." The coach said and Liam smiled. "The lads are running drills out there. Get ready, I'll go out with you. Get you introduced. Once you cross that white line, Liam, I want you to concentrate on just one thing. Express yourself. Good to go?" He asked, smiling.   
  
"Yeah." Liam replied, nodding.   
  
"After you." Scott said, pacing to the side and waiting for him to walk.   
  
They walked to the field where the other students were talking. The green grass and the cloudy sky, as always. The coach blew the whistle, making everyone look at him. "Everyone, this is Liam. Liam won the Junior Cup with St. Devenford Prep last year, kicking nineteen points in the final, was it?" Liam nodded.   
  
"I asked him up with us seniors so he sees what we're made of. Give him something to aspire to. Also, give Brett a bit of competition. You've met our captain, Nolan." The coach pointed at a blond boy with freckles on his face. "Apart from him too many names to remember but I'll give you the gist, Josh Diaz, prop. Jean Argent, current place kicker. We get our speed from this fella. Scrum half one, two... Chief wrecking ball." Scott was showing everyone from the team to him, but Liam was sure he would not remember the names afterwards. "Okay, line out, first against seconds. Liam, play at 10 for the firsts. Gabe? Where's Gabe?" The coach asked and everyone started to run across the field.   
  
"I'm here." Gabe said, he was next to the coach, but he had not seen the boy.   
  
"Defend it." The coach said, and started walking.   
  
Liam prepared on one side of the field, he put the mouthpiece in his mouth. The coach whistled and Liam started running after the ball, waiting for a chance. He took the ball and kicked, but he soon ran into Brett and both fell on the grass. He remembered what the man did with Theo. Liam climbed on top of lying boy and began to punch his face. Once, twice, three times. Before some of his teammates took him off the boy.  
  
"You're an Animal!" Brett shouted, almost crying. "You're a fucking monster."   
  
Theo looked away and saw the coach, smiling, before putting the whistle in his mouth and blow again. "Jackson, come back in for Liam." The coach said, approaching them. "Liam, take a break."   
  
"Take a break?" Liam said, smiling, he could feel the warm blood coursing through his veins.  "We've only just begun." He said, looking at the coach still smiling.   
  
The coach smiled at him too, turning his face for a moment and then looking for the team. "Okay... Reset!" He shouted.   
Liam put the mouthpiece again, smiling. He walked a few steps back and heard the whistle sounded again. He started running, he took the ball in the air and threw for another person, but the person quickly played back to him. He kept running with the ball in hand and when he was close enough he kicked the ball. Some teammates came to slap on his shoulders, celebrating. They continued training for a long time, it was making Liam happy he could finally play the way he did.   
  
When the training ended, well... for Liam training never ended. Everyone had gone to the locker room and had perhaps gone to the room. It was night and Liam kept kicking the ball again and again.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. If you can comment, please do, I'd love to read it. ♥


	5. Who's going to be you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it. ♥

"Reveal to me who you are." I said. I set at essay title for you because I wanted to find out about you and there are some excellent essays." Mr. Hale said, taking a few papers at hand.   
  
Theo was in the classroom. He wrote a good essay, at least that's what he thought. He knew it was just another song lyrics he had stolen, but the teacher did not know that.   
  
"But there was one student that stood above all. Theo Raeken." The teacher said, Theo smiled, but at the same time he felt the stares of other boys. "Do you want to get up here and read it in front of the class?"   
  
"Actually I'm okay... thanks." Theo said, smiling sympathetically. "I mean, thank you, but um... I'd just prefer not to."   
  
"I can appreciate that." Mr. Hale said, looking disappointed. "But I think you should." He said, holding the sheet to Theo.   
  
Theo rose slowly from the chair and the boys did that noise again, he paused and closed his eyes for a moment.   
  
"The next person to make a single solitary sound of any sort is in hideous trouble." The teacher said, and all the boy stayed quiet. "Good. Theo." He handed the sheet in Theo's hand.   
  
Theo picked up the paper and straightened up in front of the other boys, the teacher sat in the chair of his desk. He sighed and looked ahead, everyone was looking at him, so he quickly lowered his head and began to read. "A Family Member. I have this cousin Whose name's Kevin. And I'm pretty sure he's destined for Heaven. He's Always spotlessly dressed. Clean and neat and totally smooth. He likes to wear this... fur lined, sheepskin jacket-" He read it, but then a song started playing. He looked away and saw a radio on the teacher 's desk, the man looking at him curiously.   
  
"Keep going, please." Mr. Hale said, still looking at him.   
  
Theo saw all the students confused and he was too, but he went back to reading at least he tried to read. "Kevin... Were just not the same. Oh my perfect cousin... " He heard everyone in the room started laughing. "... he does not." The laughter grew louder. "He's his father's pride and joy. His mother's little golden boy." Theo could not take it anymore, but he was paralyzed, just reading and hearing the laughter. "... economics... physics and bionics... He thinks que I'm a bit of a cabbage." He tried to read, but it was hard. The sound of the music stopped, but he kept trying to read. "Cos I hate University-" The music that was playing was the same as his essay.  
  
"Stop, stop, stop." Mr. Hale said quietly. Grabbing his sheet gently. "Sit down."   
  
Theo walked toward his chair with his head down, laughter had already stopped, but still echoed in his head. He sat down and put his hands on the table, but his head went down. He waited until someone said something and take away the uncomfortable silence of the classroom.   
  
"Listen to you, the baying crowd. Bleating like sheep." Mr. Hale said, and students continued quiet. "Why do you assume that this lesson isn’t for you?  Never, ever, ever use the barrowed voice!" He said with anger in his voice. He threw the paper in the direction of some students. "You're all individuals-" And then the school bell rang.   
  
Theo bent to pick up the backpack next to his desk and stood up slowly. He saw the teacher with no reaction as the students began to leave the room. "Stop! Stop!" Mr. Hale yelled, causing everyone to stop.   
  
"If you spend your whole life being someone else, who's going to be you? Get out!" He screamed and people walked out of the room slowly.   
  
It was evening and Theo was sitting on his bed, listening to music. The roommate was on the other side of the wall, he did not know if the song was disturbing the boy, but since he did not say anything he took that as a no. He heard a little noise on the wall, but he did not bother to look. He heard the noise again, it was Liam clearing his throat. Theo looked up and there he was, with half of his head appearing on the wall.   
  
"I'll turn it down." Theo said, bending down to turn off the music.   
  
"No, not that." Liam said. Theo stopped and looked back at the boy. "Today, that was pretty cool. I liked the song." His roommate said, smiling.   
  
"Could you go straight to hell please?" Theo asked, looking at him with disdain.   
  
The boy looked at him confused. "I liked it. A lot. Why do you like so much old stuff?" Liam asked.   
  
"Well, because modern life is rubbish." Theo said, lowering his head.   
  
"I hear that." Liam said, smiling.   
  
They were silent for a while, but Theo realized that Liam was still standing, waiting. He was being nice to him. "So I saw Brett's face." He said, looking back at the boy.   
  
"How did you know I did that?" Liam asked.   
  
"Word gets around. Even to me." Theo said, however distant he was from all the other students in the school, it was easy to know something was going on .   
  
"Can I ask you a question? It's personal." Liam asked and Theo nodded his head slowly. The boy seemed a bit insecure, sometimes he looked at the ceiling before asking the question. "Are you gay?"   
  
Theo sighed. "Do not worry, Liam. I'm not going to "bum you" in the night. All right." He said.   
  
"No, sorry. I-"Liam said.   
  
"Was that it?" Theo asked. "That was your question, was it?" He saw the boy nod head gently and then his face was no longer there.   
  
Theo looked down again and picked up a pencil on the table and began to play with it. The music was still playing, it was the only sound in the room. He felt that Liam was looking at him through a crack in the wall, but he did not look back.   
  
"It's not really the music. It's more the story. How someone can write about themselves like that, about their family. It's mad, is not it?" Liam asked calmly.   
  
"Well, yeah. The madder the better." Theo said, looking up to see the boy's face on the other side of the wall. They continued looking and paying attention to the music and for a moment he saw the boy smiling. "So you're not just taking the piss?" He asked.   
  
Liam got up from the bed quickly and put his face on the wall again. "I liked the song." He said, smiling gently.   
  
Theo left a small smile forming on his face. "All right, follow me, then." He said, getting up from bed.   
  
They ran the school toward a place that Theo knew, they went through a dark tunnel which had some tables and a wooden staircase, they went down to a darker place yet. Theo turned on the light and walked toward some wooden boxes.   
  
"I did not know this was here." Liam said, approaching him.   
  
"These I found last year." Theo said, showing some vinyls who were inside the box.   
  
"Vinyl." Liam said, taking one of them.   
  
"Look at those faces." Theo said, holding a vinyl.   
  
"What were they thinking?" Liam asked, looking at the boy.   
  
"Well, none of them ever cared about the stuff that matters here, that's for sure." Theo said, handing the vinyl in the hands of Liam and turning to pick up his guitar. "Man, I can not wait to get out of here." He said, holding the guitar in both hands.   
  
"What are you going to be?" Liam asked, Theo still had his back to him.   
  
"I am unemployable basically, but I'll be free." Theo said, and he heard Liam sigh behind him in the middle of a small laugh.   
  
"My Dad and I used to sail, before he... before he became interested in other things. I remember sitting at the front of the boat. That felt free. Flying..." Liam said quietly.   
  
"You still have the boat?" Theo asked, turning to look at the boy.   
  
"It's still there, I think. Rusting away." Liam said, looking at the vinyl box.   
  
"So, what's it like to punch someone in the face?" Theo asked, curious.   
  
Liam did not answer, just picked up another guitar that was on the table and touched a chord.   
  
"Whoa, show me that. How do you know the chord?" Theo asked, excited.   
  
"I can like music, you know. We're not all the same." Liam said with a small smile on his face as he put the guitar on the table again.   
  
"So you do not have a "Shit List"?” Theo asked, looking at the guitar in his hands.   
  
"I think you've been taken off the list." Liam muttered, but Theo just turned and started to play the guitar awkwardly. He heard Liam laughing behind him again, but he did not care and continued playing.   
  
The next day, Theo was sitting on the grass, holding a book while Liam was running. He could see the boy running away.  _'I never knew I had been lonely until I found a friend. Not that Liam and I were peas in a pod. I mean, I’d never met someone who liked to run around as much as I liked to sit down and do nothing at all."_ Theo thought.  
  
That evening Theo began to demolish the wall between the beds of him and Liam, he no longer needed it. Some people helped him drag the closet to the wall again.  _'My defenses were coming down and - I'd never say it out loud, but it felt pretty good. Brett had suddenly stopped bullying me and I no longer dreamed of being expelled. Despite my best intentions, I began to fell like I fit in.'_ He thought.   
  
Some time later he was walking through the school yard, Liam was sitting on a ladder back to him. He approached the boy. "All packed?" Theo asked.   
  
"Yeah." Liam said, looking at him as he sat on the stairs. "What happened?" The boy pointed to his uniform.   
  
He looked at the uniform, something was missing. On his shirt there was another pocket. "I was pocketed." Theo said.   
  
"Again? How many times since September?" Liam asked.   
  
"Err, three... no-" Theo said, pausing to think. "Four. Yeah. How many have you had?" He asked, looking into the blue eyes of Liam.   
  
"I've never been pocketed." Liam said, looking at him.   
  
"You've never been pocketed?" Theo asked, discredited.   
  
"I've never been pocketed." Liam repeated.   
  
"That's not right. Anyway, this is for you." Theo said, handing a small pack in Liam's hand.   
  
"What is it?" Liam asked, looking at the package.   
  
"A birthday present." Theo said, looking forward to the boy opened.   
  
"Really?" Liam asked, looking at him.   
  
"Yeah. Well... I was not going to get you anything, obviously, but... my wicked stepmother said seeing as we’re roommates and all, you know, probably should- It's a harmonica." Theo said.   
  
"Thanks, Theo." Liam said, looking at the small harmonica in wolf form.   
  
"Oh, I have one more presente for you actually. Yeah..." Theo said, putting a hand on Liam's chest and holding the pocket of his shirt.   
  
Liam looked at the boy 's hand. "You would not dare." He said.   
  
"Would not I, though?" Theo asked, looking defiantly at the boy.   
  
"Theo..." Liam said quietly.   
  
And then Theo pulled the pocket forward, dropping the fabric of the shirt. He jumped up the stairs and started walking toward the school entrance. "Have a good birthday." He said, smiling.   
  
"Bastard..." Theo heard Liam muttering.   
  
Some days passed, they were getting closer.  _'Mr. Hale Began to work with us as a team. And we all loved him for it. Still, when an annual variety show was announced at the local girl's school no one stuck their hands up. But Hale had heard us messing around on those old guitars and said - no, insisted that Liam and I should play a song '._ Theo thought.  
  
He and Liam were sitting in the same place that Theo had taken him days ago. They were playing guitar, the worst possible way, because Mr. Hale was there and they did not play in the annual variety show. The teacher was walking near them with a panic face.   
  
"All right, fellas. How's it going?" Mr. Hale said, looking at them.   
  
"Extremely bad." Liam said. "Awful, thanks." Theo said, at the same time. Both looking at the teacher.   
  
"And why is that?" The teacher asked.   
  
"Well... we're not these deadly Spanish guitar players, so we can't do an instrumental. We have to do a song, but neither of us wants to be the singer." Theo said, still holding the guitar on his lap.   
  
"I'm definitely not doing it." Liam said.   
  
"No. Me neither." Theo said.   
  
"Why not both of you?" Mr. Hale asked.   
  
"What, like Simon & Garfunkel?" Theo asked. Liam looked at him confused.   
  
Mr. Hale frowned. "Yeah, like Simon & Garfunkel." He said, smiling.   
  
Theo laughed nervously. "I do not think so." He said, lowering his head and looking at the guitar.   
  
"Not cool enough for you, Theo, huh?" The teacher asked.   
  
"Honestly no, not really." Theo said, looking at him.   
  
"Well you, young man, you need to learn about what is much more important than cool. And that is..." Mr. Hale stopped, put the vinyl to play. "What is beautiful." He said, looking at the two with sparkles in his eyes.   
  
_'Something's going on, changing is taking place'_ The music began to play.  _'Children smiling in the street have gone without a trace. This street used to be full, it used to make me smile and now it seems that everyone is walking single file... '_ Theo and Liam looked at each other.   
  
"High..." Mr. Hale said, pointing to Theo. "Low..." he said, pointing to Liam and then joined his two hands, smiling.   
  
"Oh but sir, it's so high." Theo complained.  
  
"So high." Mr. Hale repeated, walking toward the exit where one of the boys down the stairs. "Do not gallop, Mr. Yukimura, you're not a horse." The teacher said before leaving Theo's old hiding place.   
  
"Liam. Training." The boy said, looking at Liam. "Ten minutes, man. Come on."   
  
Liam jumped up from the couch and put the guitar on the table. With a glance and a smile to Theo before leaving. He stayed there, trying to play the music chords. After that he went to the library to write.  _'The school rugby team embarked on a long, unbeaten road. And the local papers put it down to my friend. The new star right half. But the players worshiped Scott.'_ Theo thought.   
  



	6. A celebration that was not mine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ♥ By the way, I fixed some errors from the previous chapters, but nothing that changed the story.

"Stop!" The coach shouted. "Number '9', congratulations!" He said, walking toward one of the players. "Do you have an announcement to make?"

"No." The boy replied, confused.

"You do." The coach laughed, stopping in front of him.

"No." The boy replied, starting to get nervous.

"You do." Scott repeated, laughing. "Come on, number '9'. Everybody, I just noticed Number '9' tackling and it's clear that he has something else on his mind." The coach said, slapping the boy's chest. "So I'm guessing it's because... you and your boyfriend are engaged to be married." He said, clapping his hands and walking toward one of the punching bags.

He held up the punching bag in the front. "The hell are you doing breastfeeding a tacking bag? Hit it!" The coach screamed, pushing the sack into the boy's hands and pulling away. He started to run toward the punching bag and threw himself on top of it, throwing the boy he was holding away. "Are you afraid to hit? Go sign up for the opera school! I'm sure they're short a few tavern wenches." He said looking at the boy lying on the floor.

"Everyone, gather round." Scott said, standing up and looking at the others. Liam approached him with the others. "Time to get serious. It's the nature of this school that you hear a lot about talk about 'opening your mind', and the value of 'rounded education.' Bullshit." He shouted. "We're about to walk on a battlefield, and once we do, the last thing we need is empathy for you fellow man, to be 'feeling' things. Liam is leading us out and he will have a target on his back...” He said. Liam walked and stood on the side of the coach, the man placed a hand on his shoulder. "So from now on, men, you're not a team. It's a war zone, and you're in the army." The coach said and Liam watched the face of each of his teammates.

After training, Liam went to Theo's hiding place, he was not there, so he decided to play guitar alone. He was training the music they would play together, after a while he felt a breath in his ear and jumped, frightfully, he looked to the side to see Theo, smiling at him. He smiled, too.

"Should not you be asleep?" Theo asked him, smiling.

"Should not you?" Liam asked, watching the boy walk past him to sit beside him.

"I'm not the one playing in the final quarter tomorrow." Theo said frowning.

"That's why I'm not sleeping." Liam said, shaking his hands. "I can not. My nerves." He was nervous about the game tomorrow.

Theo smiled. "You're gonna win." he said.

Liam looked at him. "You do not know that." he said, turning his face and staring at the floor.

"I do not know the first thing about rugby, but... I feel it in my bones." Theo pretended to be singing.

Liam smiled. "Are you gonna be there?" He asked, he wanted Theo to be there.

"It's really not my team," Theo said. Liam was disappointed. "This one time, before you came here, one of your teammates... flushed my head down the toilet. So that's not going in my autobiography." Liam looked at him and laughed. "You're better off without me. I will be rooting for you though."

The day after the game, Liam and his teammates were celebrating in the locker room, they had won the game. He was happy and could not contain the smile on his face. He saw Jackson dancing and jumping in celebration.

"Liam, your old man's out at the bar." Isaac shouted, he was standing at the door. "Says he wants to buy us a drink."

The smile on Liam's face disappeared, he heard the others cheer even more and felt someone slap him on the back. They all took a shower and changed their clothes, after this they went to the bar where his father was waiting. He did not want to go, but he had no choice.

"Watch out. Coming through. Here we are." His father said, passing between some of his teammates. Liam was talking to other boys, he did not want to be near his father, not at all, but that did not stop his father from getting close to him.

"Now have yourself a drink. Get stuck in, lads." His father said, but he did not want to drink, he did not want to be like his father. The man looked at him discreetly and with a smile that caused nausea in Liam's belly. "Have a drink with your old man, son."

"I'm fine with water, thanks." Liam said, smiling and trying to look nice.

The man took the glass of water from his hand and placed it on the table near the drinking glasses. "Come near to me, I will not hurt you." His father said, but he remembered all the times that he hurt him when he was drunk.

The man handed him a glass of drink. "We can not toast the victory without a man's drink." Liam felt his legs weaken, he did not want it. "To my son the athlete... and to all you fine young men. Cheers!" His father said and everyone toasted.

Liam drank some of the beer as he watched his father drink almost everything and wet his clothes. This was disgusting and disgraceful to him, he wanted to get away from there as quickly as possible. But it seemed that with every sip of beer he took his body he got more used to things around. He got drunk and could hear his father screaming along with the other boys. He smiled as he saw one of the boys throwing up in the corner.

"Your Dad is a complete inspiration." Brett said looking at him, he was certainly drunk.

After this he and his father left the bar, they walked side by side before the man put his arm around Liam's shoulders. "The best thing about watching you play today was that rubbish in the last school was just rubbish. That was the real you today, huh. I loved you today." His father said. He stepped away from the man and stopped in front of him. "I loved you again. You felt like my son again. Not that other eejit from before. Come on, jump in. I'll give you a lift back. We'll have the chats." The man said, smiling as he took the key from the car.

"I'm getting the train." Liam said, the smile on his father's face disappeared and he started to walk away from him.

"Oh, son..." It was the last thing the man said, before he was far enough away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥


	7. A secret should be a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ♥

Theo was running through the city streets. To tell the truth, he went to watch Liam's game, but he did not let the boy see him and after the game he did not go home, he knew everyone would be celebrating and he could not participate, but that did not mean that he would have to go back to school. He stopped running in front of a wall and unzipped his pants and started to piss on the wall. _‘After walking for hours I found a cinema showing a subtitled film about a nun which was long... I ended up late for the coaches back to school and that’s when I saw Liam. The idea was that I would surprise him.’_  Theo thought. He zipped off quickly and walked behind Liam. Hiding every time behind something, he followed the boy until he saw him entering an old gray building, a purple light illuminated the closed windows, and the loud music was audible to Theo. A security guard was at the door, but he did not say anything to Liam, apparently. Then Theo approached and cleared his throat. He tried to get in, but...

"If you are not a member you can not enter. Sorry, pal." The security guard said, looking at him.

"No. He's my friend." Theo said, smiling. He wanted to know what kind of place it was.

"Well, he's a member and you're not." The security guard said.

"What kind of bar is this?" Theo asked, looking around, not having a name, just a building.

"A bar for adults." The security man said, as if it was the most obvious thing.

"Okay. What kind of adults?" Theo asked with half-closed eyes.

"Gay adults." The security man whispered.

Theo snorted. "Totally. Just double-checking." He said, smiling. "I'm just gonna wait for him. He'll be out soon. "

He pulled away a little, but he still in front of the security guard. Looking everywhere but the security kept staring at him. He put his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt and began to whistle, waiting. And then it was two minutes, then five, then ten, but Liam did not leave. "I, uh... I better head. Yeah, it's getting late." He told the security guard before he started walking toward the train station.

_‘All this time I thought I was the only one on the outside. Turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong.’_ Theo thought. He spent the whole train ride thinking about it, Liam was also gay. Why had not he told him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥


	8. Double secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it. ♥

Liam entered the bar, looking at all the men around him. He was still drunk and was smiling. That was one of the reasons he left the old school, he did not want anyone to know. But then, at a table in the back of the bar he saw someone he knew. The smile faded from his face when he saw Mr. Hale caressing the face of a young boy, they were smiling. After that the teacher looked at him, but he did not wait. Just lowered his head and left the bar. He walked to the train station and when it arrived he sat, waiting.

"Welcome to the Regional Express. This is a non-stop service." A man said on the radio.

Liam ran a hand over his face in agony. He had seen Mr. Hale, but the professor had seen him, too. If he told anyone his life in this new school would be ruined. He heard footsteps down the aisle.

"Oh, hi Liam. You're on the train." Mr. Hale said, looking exhausted. He sat down next to him. Liam was nervous. "I almost missed the bloody train. So congratulations on today. I believe you played really well." The man said, looking at him.

"Thanks, sir, but I actually missed a few kicks." Liam said, trying to smile and ignore the nervousness that ran through his skin. "Not my best."

"Oh, did you? Did you now? Okay. But still, you got to the quarter-" Mr. Hale said, he also appeared to be nervous.

"Semi. Semi-finals." Liam corrected, smiling.

Mr. Hale raised his eyebrows. "No pressure then..." he said.

Liam laughed nervously. "No." He averted his gaze for a moment and stared at the window, but he could feel the teacher's eyes on him.

They were silent for a while, until the teacher broke it. "I might have a cup of tea or something. I like a cup of tea, me." He said, looking confused. "I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but I like- I like a cup of tea- or a pot! A nice big pot! A pot of tea. A nice big pot of tea...” The man looked desperate.

"Sir, before- It's not like it seemed." Liam said, turning his face to the teacher.

"What? No, no, no." Mr. Hale said.

"I was bursting for the loo and it was the nearest bar-" Liam said, trying to look natural. Lie.

"Yeah, you know my friend- my friend there, Liam, his name is Stiles and he's very, very affectionate." The teacher said, pretending to be hugging himself.

"There's no signs out front." Liam said, smiling.

"Yes. Very poorly signposted. And he's Italian, he's all over-" The teacher said, before making gestures of kisses. Liam turned his face, the man was really desperate. "You know... Jesus... Liam I think a certain degree of discretion..." Mr. Hale said.

"I'm never going to say anything, sir." Liam said, nodding.

"... about anything." The teacher said.

"Ever." Liam replied.

"Ever. Okay." Mr. Hale nodded.

"Ever, sir." Liam agreed.

"All right." The man said.

Liam smiled and started looking out the window, maybe it was not all lost, maybe he had a chance.

"I'm gonna get a cup of tea. Do you want a cup of tea?" Mr. Hale asked, rising quickly from his seat. "Do you want one?"

"Yeah." Liam replied.

"Okay." the teacher said, before beginning to walk down the aisle.

Liam looked at the man as he walked away and only sighed deeply. After they took the cup of tea they arrived at the destination, the school, they did not talk much, they just agreed to keep discretion and about school. They said goodbye and he went to his room, when he arrived there Theo was already sleeping, so he just lay in bed and decided to sleep too.

The next morning he and Theo were in the hiding place, they intended to rehearse the music. Although Liam could not get what happened yesterday from his mind.

"Okay, have you learned your part?" Liam asked, the guitar in his hands.

"I have." Theo replied, looking at him and holding a guitar.

"Theo, there's no avoiding this any longer... just go for it." Liam said, looking at the boy's clutter.

"Okay." Theo nodded.

"One, two, three-" Liam said, but was interrupted.

"Sorry, Liam, before we start..." Theo said, looking down at the floor.  
  


"What?" Liam asked.

"Just... Erm ..." Theo said, but then he stopped talking and stared at him. Liam was confused and raised his eyebrows. "Nothing. Nothing." He said, shaking his head in denial.

"You sure?" Liam asked, worried about the boy.

"Yeah." Theo whispered, putting his hands on the guitar again.

"One, two, three, four..." Liam said, before beginning to play the chords. _'Something's going on change is taking place...'_ He started to sing, but then he stopped and looked at Theo, the boy was not singing along with him. "You made me do it by myself!" He complained.

"I just got-" Theo started to say, but stopped.

"Teamwork, Theo!" Liam said and Theo nodded. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Theo said quietly.

"One, two, three, four..." Liam recounted and they started playing together. _'Something's going on, change is taking-'_ The two began to sing, but they stopped. "I thought we agreed that you would go high and I would go low."

"We did." Theo replied.

"And I thought you said you learned your part." Liam said.

"And I did. I have- I have learned my part, it's just... all I can hear in my head is... your voice. It makes me want to follow you." Theo said, calmly.

"Well don't. Sing your own part. Or I can go high and you can go low-" Liam said, but he thought, Theo could only hear his voice... he did not know what that meant.

"No. I can be high. "Theo said.

"Okay, then be high." Liam said.

"Okay." Theo agreed, settling on the couch.

"One, two, three, four..." And they started playing together again, one more try. _'Something's going on, change is taking place. People smiling in the street have gone without a trace.'_ They sang together, in perfect harmony, with no mistakes. 

"I think that was all right." Liam said.

Theo smiled. "Yeah." he said.

Liam watched the boy with his head down, something was going on, but he did not know what. 'All I can hear in my head is your voice.' He remembered him saying it again and smiled.

After that, Liam went to the field to train. He needed to stop thinking about everything and that was the only way. He was kicking the ball when coach arrived, he wanted to be alone, but this was not something he would have. He missed one kick and then another. The coach looked disappointed with him.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop..." Scott repeated several times. Liam stopped and looked at him. "Liam, sport... kicking... takes a quiet mind. You need to have nothing going on there. Okay? So what's eating you?"

"Sir... sometimes I just feel like a robot... doing this again and again. Like, there's a little more to life than..." Liam said, but received a reproachful look from the coach. He lowered his head.

"You have a rare gift. And you need to use it. And recently, I've noticed you hanging around with different people, which is fine, I suppose. Whatever. But here’s something, son... You lie down with dogs... you get fleas. Have you identified the fleas?" The coach asked, looking into his eyes.

Liam opened his mouth to respond, but the coach spoke again. "Do not complicate this, son. There's you, and that... and those." He clapped his hands and walked away from him. "Now come on."

Liam stepped away from the ball, preparing to kick again. He took a deep breath and then advanced toward the ball and kicked, but the ball went away. He missed another kick. He put his hands on his head.

"For fuck's sake..." He heard the coach whisper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. ♥


	9. Louder!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ♥

Theo and Liam were on one side of the school, it was just a concrete building, nothing special. This was on the way to the rugby field, and Mr. Hale thought it would be a good place to do a rehearsal. And there was the professor, on a roof clapping. Theo looked up to face the man.

"Okay... this is a lesson in projection. What - in projection! Yes. Move back." The professor shouted, looking at both of them.

Theo and Liam took a few steps back, they had guitars in their hands. They did not take their eyes from the teacher.

"Keep going, keep going, keep going - stop, stop, stop, stop, okay. When you sing tomorrow, you can not whimper like some weird little field-mice. Okay? You've got to project!" Mr. Hale shouted. Theo saw Liam smiling and he smiled too. "Reveal to me who you are! If you dare. Let your voices bounce off the walls! All right. Begin." The man said, waiting for them to start playing.

Theo looked at Liam and the boy nodded. They began to play. _'Something's going on...'_ They sang.

"I can't hear this." Mr. Hale grunted.

_'...Change is taking place...'_ They continued.

"At all." The professor said, folding his arms.

_'...Children smiling in the street...'_ They sang. Theo and Liam were singing normally, but apparently it was too low.

"What? Louder!" The man on the roof placed his hands on his waist, looking defiantly at the other two.

_'...Have gone without a trace...'_ They sang louder. Theo smiled at Liam, the boy smiled as well.

"Yes. Louder." Mr. Hale said, nodding.

_'...This street used to be full, it used to make me smile...'_ They sang, keeping their voice.

"Louder! Lourder, come on!" The man shouted, raising his hands up and swaying. Theo thought the professor funny, he had a strange behavior to express himself.

_'...Seems that everyone is walking single file...'_ They sang louder, Liam's voice echoing on the concrete walls around them.

"Better." the professor said, turning and beginning to walk on the roof. The cloudy sky over the man took over and they did not see him anymore.

_'...Something's going on, change is taking place...'_   They looked at each other, smiling gently. _‘...Children smiling in the street have gone without a trace...’_ They continued to sing that morning, and after this Liam decided it was time to rest for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥


	10. When the shit started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ♥

After singing in the morning, Liam decided to kick some balls in the field, but he did not have much success and began to get frustrated. He knew what was happening, many things going on in his mind, but at the same time he did not know what to do. He decided that the training was over for today and went to the locker room.

He began to shower, feeling the warm water run on his body. He heard the locker door open and close a few times, it was normal, but then he heard a few steps toward him.

"Knock, knock." Brett said, tapping the wall beside him.

Liam turned to look at him, the boy had a look of contempt on his face. "Oh, there's Liam. Hey, can I ask you something?" He said.

"Yeah." Liam said, nodding calmly.

"Yeah, um... Why are you hanging out with that freak Theo?" Brett said, frowning. His hand was still against the wall.

Liam smiled, not understanding why this was happening now. "That freak Theo is my mate." He said.

"Your mate? How?" Brett asked, eyes half closed.

"He's my roommate, Brett." Liam replied impatiently.

"Oh, okay. Got it." Brett said, raising a hand and wiggling a finger toward Liam.

"Everything okay up there?" Liam asked, confused.

"Everything's really good, Liam. It's just I have a... I have a cousin in St. Devenford Prep's... " Brett said with a small malicious grin on his face. Liam felt the blood on his body heat. "Well, second cousin. But I know everyone says that you left your old school because - I do not know, you were fighting all the time." The boy said. Liam felt his mind boil, he realized that Brett knew why he had left school, the real reason. "But I was talking to him... And I was wondering what was the... what was the reason, you know, for all this fighting? Why the fighting, you know?" Brett said, raising his eyebrows.

"What do you want, Brett?" Liam asked. If he knew he did not have to mess around, he had better say so soon or Liam would punch his face so many times.

"Liam, I promised my father on his death bed that I would do everything in my power to win that cup. I'm not the only one that's noticing you're spending... a lot of time with the wrong kind of people. What are you gonna do- you're gonna pick your company a little bit better." Brett said. Liam lowered his head. "You're gonna focus on the semi-finals and... we'll let the rumors from your old school be rumors from your old school." Liam nodded, he did not accept that, but he did not have what to do, this school was his new chance. "Yeah. Good. Good chat." The boy said, before turning and heading toward the exit.

Liam was very angry, he pulled a few strands of hair from his face and punched the wall. He opened the shower again and felt the water fall on his head.


	11. The biggest mistake of my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ♥

_'When I woke up on the day of the talent show and there was no sign of Liam, I wasn't that surprised.'_ Theo thought, listening to the alarm clock ringing and getting up from the bed slowly, he went to the bathroom and showered, after that he put on the uniform and went to class.

_'You get to skip all sorts of classes, especially when it gets to the semi-final.'_ Theo looked at the empty chair of Liam and a few other people. _'You're carrying the hopes of the school on your shoulders, you see. Is an education more important than that?_  ' He thought, ironically. After class he just had one thing to do, get ready to go to the talent show.

He met with Mr. Hale at 5 pm and they went to the scene together, Liam had not yet appeared, but he knew that sometimes the workouts could end later than normal. _'But I was worried by 6 pm.'_ He thought.

"Okay look, he's not coming, all right." Mr. Hale said, they were behind the curtains, watching people perform.

"Sir, I can't do it on my own." Theo said. He was apprehensive.

"You can. You can do it." The teacher said, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"So give it up for Malia." The headmistress at the girls' college said, and people started clapping. A song began to play and the girl began to dance. Theo kept looking at her, she danced very well.

"Sir, she's a genius." Theo whispered.

"She's not. She's not a genius." The teacher said.

Theo saw the girl do some dance moves that seemed to be difficult, he looked at the teacher and he was gaping. "It's not about who is and who is not the genius. It's about- it's about-" Mr. Hale was saying, but then the girl did danced in a totally different way and gave a back flip. "It's about- it's about taking part... How's she doing that?" The professor asked. And then her presentation ended and everyone in the audience began to clap and shout.

"All you need to do is go out there and let them hear your voice. That's all. That's all you need to do. Okay?" Mr. Hale said, looking into his eyes.

"...from two current Beacon Hills College students." The headmistress said into the microphone and everyone applauded.

"Okay, good luck. Don't be nervous. You're fine." The teacher said, before Theo started to walk to the front of the stage.  
  


The guitar was in his hand and the microphone was in front of him. He looked at the audience in the darkness and sighed deeply. He wanted to run away, but he would try, at least. "One of us, actually... Turns out there's only one of us." Theo said, quietly into the microphone.

He pulled the guitar closer and looked at the audience again. He started playing the guitar, as he always did, without missing a chord. _‘Something’s going on, change is taking place. Children smiling in the street have gone without a trace...’_   He began to sing, but then there was a small laugh coming from the audience. _‘...This street used to be full it used to make me smile and now it seems that everyone is walking single file and many hang their heads in shame...’_ He sang louder and the people started to laugh more. _‘...That used to hold them high and those that used to say hello. Simply pass you by...’_ He kept singing, he raised his eyes to face the audience laughing, this was the second time he tried and people laughed at him, he could not handle it anymore. When he finished singing he did not wait to know who had won, just ran out, he heard the teacher shouting behind him, calling for him, but he ignored and kept running. He ran up to school, eyes about to cry, but he would not do it. It was not his fault.

The next day he was sitting on his bed, staring at the window, he decided to turn on the radio. Terrible choice. "Meanwhile in school rugby, a difficult two halves from Liam Dunbar. Inspirational with the ball in hand, but trouble of the kicking team. Despite those penalty misses, Beacon Hills College progressed to their first senior final in over a decade." The man said on the radio. Theo got up from the bed and walked toward the door.

_'Everyone who's ever been young - so that's everyone, know just what humiliation feels like. Worse than the embarrassment was Liam's vanishing act. He had disappeared from my life. And I can not believe I'm about to say this, but... I missed him. We were friends... I was not going to give that up without a fight.'_ Theo thought, he was determined to have Liam again.

That night Theo got up from the bed, he heard some bottles being broken. He walked the halls of the college until he left. He looked to the side and a light, it seemed to be fire, in the same place that he and Liam rehearsed for the last time. He approached and saw some rugby players running and laughing. He saw Brett, with a torch in his hand.

The boy pointed the torch at Theo and started to walk toward him. "Halt. Who goes there?" Brett asked, a smile on his face. "Oh. Can I help you? "

"I was looking for Liam. I wanted to say well done. Is he in there?" Theo said, putting his hands in his trouser pockets.

"Oh, yea-nope. He's actually not there. I'm really sorry." Brett said, peering into the concrete walls.

"Maybe I'll just check." Theo said and started walking toward him.

"Yeah. Well maybe instead of checking you could just piss off?" Brett said, anger dominated his face. He pushed Theo away. "Does that sound like a plan?" Theo smiled and walked toward him again. "I'm not going to tell you again to piss off, okay?" Brett said, pushing Theo again.

Theo walked away smiling, he could not bear to look at Brett's face any more, he could not take it anymore, he wanted Liam again. He moved toward the boy, lifted his arm and punched him in the face. Brett reached back, putting his hand on his nose. Theo's blood warmed, he heard a noise behind him and looked, but when he returned to look forward Brett punched him, knocking him to the ground.

He got up and held on Brett's blue uniform, the boy also held on his uniform. "Eh, eh, no!" The boy said, a smile on his face.

"Theo - leave it." Isaac said, pulling Brett back.

"Brett, come on man, just leave him be." Jackson said, holding Brett by the arm.

"Thank you." Theo said, looking at them. "I want to go see my friend. Liam!"

"He's not your friend. He's your roommate." Brett said, walking toward him. Theo saw Liam approaching slowly. "He had no choice but to hang out with you! Do you get it!" The boy kept talking.

Liam was there, just watching and drinking beer. Brett came close to him. “Liam, this little... I don’t know, vole appears to be very much in love with you. Now I’ve told him you’re not that way inclined but... maybe I’m wrong.” Brett said, looking at Liam and then looking at Theo. "Am I wrong, Liam?"

Theo kept waiting for Liam to respond, he knew the boy would defend him, he knew “Go back to the fucking dorm, Theo.” Liam said, without looking into his eyes. Theo did not believe what he'd heard, he did not believe Liam would accept that.

"Go back to the dorm, faggot." Brett said, smiling.

"Tell them, Liam." Theo pleaded, his voice faltered.

Liam looked at him and started walking toward him. Theo was confused, he did not know what the boy was feeling. "Go back to the fucking dorm, Theo." Liam repeated angrily in his voice.

"Tell them." Theo asked again, he could feel his eyes watering.

_‘I only meant for Liam to tell his teammates that we were friends, but looking back, maybe he thought I knew more than that.’_ Theo thought.

"Tell them." He asked again.

"I'm warning you." Liam whispered, looking into his eyes.  
  


"Tell them-" Theo said, but Liam would not let him speak. He pushed him to the floor. "Fuck!" This was the last warning to Theo, he got up and started walking toward the bedroom, he looked back and saw Brett by Liam's side, holding his shoulder and saying something, he saw the face of Liam and then the boy pushed Brett away and walked toward the concrete walls.

"See you later, Theo." Brett shouted.

Theo walked slowly toward the bedroom, he heard the boys shouting behind him. When he arrived in his room, he just closed the door, the room was dark and he left it like that. He picked up a cloth and wiped his nose bleeding. He walked over to his bed and lay down, slowly. He stared at the ceiling, and little by little the tears rolled down his face.

When he woke up the first thing he noticed was that he could not see Liam's bed. A sheet was hanging between their beds. Theo sat on the bed and stared at the yellow and blue fabric with the school sign. He had lost his friend. He got up from the bed and ran to the other side, Liam was not there. He put his hand on his bed, it was still warm so the boy had been lifting up shortly. He looked to the side and saw a picture on top of Liam's desk, he picked it up and looked at the photo, the boy was smiling, a beautiful smile, he was in a boat. Theo missed seeing that smile.

“Those masterful images because complete, grew in pure mind, but ou of what began? A mound of refuse or the sweepings of a street, old kettles, old bottles, and a broken can, old iron, old bones, old rags. That raving slut who keeps the till.” Mr. Hale read the book in front of the class. Theo looked away for a moment, the only empty chair was Liam's. "Now that my ladder's gone, I must lie down where all the ladders start. In the foul rag and bone shop-" The teacher read and then someone knocked on the door. "Come in." He said, staring at the door.

One of the rugby team's cheerleaders came in, Theo rolled his eyes, he knew what would happen and he hated it. The boy handed a paper to Mr. Hale's hand and the man read it carefully. "Go on, then." He said, frowning and sitting on his desk chair.

"Everyone up. Follow us to the gym." The cheerleader shouted into the megaphone.

_‘Compulsory cheerleading practice ahead of the final. Pretty much the last place on Earth I wanted to be.’_   Theo thought. He got up from his chair slowly and began to walk toward the door. He looked at Mr. Hale and the man gave him an empathic look and then he was pushed out of the room by the cheerleader.

"We're ready to make a little bit of history!" One of the students shouted in the hallway.

When they got there, all the students were side by side, looking forward to the gym. The rugby team was at the front, looking at the other boys. Liam stood there, arms folded and staring at the floor. _‘Beacon Hill College for the cup, we always play with honor, whenever we grow stronger...’_ The people began to sing, Theo refused to do this.  
  


_‘Lyrically, these songs left a little to be desired. But on this day – the lyrics weren’t the problem. It was what was behind them. This wasn’t my team.’_   Theo thought. He looked at Liam and the boy looked at him, but then he quickly turned his face away. _‘And maybe the idea of getting expelled began to surface once again.’_ He thought. And then he felt the hand of one of the cheerleaders hold his uniform. _‘Honestly, I don’t remember.’_ Theo thought. The boy pulled him through the uniform to the front of the players' side.

"Sing!" The boy shouted, still holding him, in his other hand was the megaphone. "Fucking sing!" He shouted again. Theo was tired, he did not want to sing, he did not want any of it, he just wanted to get out of there and never see Liam again. "Sing!" The cheerleader shouted, throwing him to the ground. "Sing, you little queer!"

_‘They wanted me to sing? I’d sing like a canary.’_   Theo thought. He looked at Liam, the boy was motionless, just watching, and then the anger took over Theo's body. He pushed the cheerleader out and picked up the megaphone from his hand. _‘I had this piece of new I could share – and what was I keeping it for? There was nothing wrong with being different. I knew that. And why did Liam get to be adored and me bullied, and we’re about the same?’_ He thought. Then he looked once more at Liam and then ran to the top of the stage. _‘Oh I’d tell them – I’d tell everyone. Then they’d apologize. Then everyone would be on my side for once. Finally, now I had the conch!’_  


"I'll tell you who's gay-" Theo started to speak, then he raised the megaphone in front of his mouth. "Oh, I'll tell you who's gay all right... Liam Dunbar is gay!" He said, looking at Liam, the boy was head down. Theo raised his arms and smiled.

_‘There it is, folks. A terrible memory.’_   Theo thought. He put the megaphone on the floor and started down the stage ladder, after this everyone was looking at him but he did not care, he did not care about looks, he did not care about Liam. He walked toward the exit, looking at everyone and smiling.

But, he did not know that what he had done would have such a negative effect. And there he was, sitting in the principal's office, the man sitting in front of him, disappointed.

"Your parents are flying home from Dubai tonight. They'll be here first thing in the morning. Theo, I'm aware you have not had it easy in the school. But grabbing the megaphone disrupting match preparations, it crosses the line." Mr. Stilinski said, sounding upset.

"Am I expelled?" Theo asked. He did not want to be expelled anymore, he only wanted respect.

"You'll sleep in the infirmary tonight. We'll meet tomorrow morning at 8 am." The man replied. Theo lowered his head. "I expected so much more from you, Theo. I expected compassion... towards a boy who was new, towards a boy who was always going to feel a little different than the rest of you." These words were a blow to Theo's stomach, he was sorry, but he could not do anything else. "Go on. Leave." The director said, with a sigh.

Theo got up and went to the infirmary, he sat on the bed and looked at his hands. _‘It’s funny how it goes, isn’t it? Now that I seemed to have achieved my goal of getting expelled, there was nothing I wanted more than to go back to being a pupil in this school.’_   He thought before he lay down and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥


	12. Believe in you? Lying is not an improvement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ♥

Liam was in front of Mr. Hale's bedroom door, he knocked once, twice, before the professor opened the door quietly, looking sleepy.

"Hey, Liam." Mr. Hale said.

"Can I talk to you?" Liam asked, his voice almost failing.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course you can. Oh, I can not let you in here, sorry." The teacher said, pointing to his room. "Stupid regulations. Come on. We'll go for a walk." Mr. Hale said, taking his coat off and heading out into the hall.

They walked in silence outside the school, it was dark outside. Liam needed advice, he knew that what Theo had done was his fault, he knew that if he had not been so rude to him, perhaps none of this would have happened.

"So... big day tomorrow, Liam. The first final in how long is it?" Mr. Hale asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, I can't do it." Liam said quietly.

"It's just nerves. You're a great player in a great team. You'll be fine." The teacher said, looking at the trees.

Liam looked at the grass beneath his feet. "That’s got nothing to do with it." He said, remembering everything, he was angry, he did not want to hide anymore. "Sir, I saw you, with your friend. You were together." He watched the teacher walk away a little and then look at him.

"So you saw me with a friend, Liam. So what? Look, I know it's hard. I know." Mr. Hale said, nodding. "But... it gets better. Trust me."

Liam rolled his eyes. "When I'm older." He said.

"Yeah, when you're older. Sad fact of life." The teacher said.

"I'm just supposed to keep lying." Liam said, staring into the darkness of the sky.

"It's not a lie. It's not necessarily lying if you keep something to yourself." Mr. Hale said.

"But if you pretend to be something you're not, then that's a lie. Sir, I remember the lesson with Theo. I remember when you called him out for plagiarizing that song. 'Do not use a borrowed voice' you said. 'Find you own voice.' And 'Do not be a sheep.' Sir, you said that lesson was not just for Theo. You said it was all of us. So why am I exempt? Why am I different from everyone else?" Liam said angrily.

"You can not be all things to all men, Liam, at all times. It's not smart." The teacher replied.

"Why not?" Liam asked.

"Sometimes you need to keep things hidden away. To protect yourself. There will be a point in the future... when you will not have to lie anymore. Trust me." Mr. Hale said, approaching him.

"Will there?" Liam asked, calmer this time.

"Yeah." the man replied.

Liam's eyes narrowed. "Are you at that point?" He asked.

"This is not about me. It gets better. It gets better..." The teacher said, tears forming in his eyes. He looked at the floor, Liam could feel his pain. "That's all I can say to you. Please believe me, Liam."

Liam laughed nervously. "Sir, how on earth can I even begin to believe you?" He saw a smile of sadness forming on the teacher's face, but he ignored it and started walking away from him.

"Come on, Liam..." Mr. Hale said, but he kept walking. "Liam..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥


	13. You can be everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ♥

In the morning, Theo woke up and put on his uniform, he would have a big, terrible day ahead, he knew that. His parents were probably already in the principal's office, so he just walked in and knocked on the door, the man opened the door and asked him to sit down with his parents.

"We take this type of transgression very seriously. We will take the midterm to consider. But punishment will be severe." The director said.

“I appreciate all that, thank you. Tell me though, what happened to my son’s face?” His father said, looking at the director, he was talking about the scar he was carrying on his nose, after Brett's punch.

"Well, we can not get no answer on that, I'm afraid." The director said, looking at him. "Theo?"

"Nothing happened." Theo replied, he did not want to cause any more trouble.

"Something happened..." His father replied, looking at him.

"This is nobody's fault but my own." Theo said, looking at the director.

"More than anything, this is about preserving the ethos of the school." The director said, frowning.

And then the door opened quickly, and Isaac appeared panting. "Sir... Sorry..." he said.

"Wait outside, Isaac." The director shouted and the boy turned to leave.

"I can not, sir," Isaac said, returning to face the director. "Liam's gone missing."

It hit Theo's ears, he turned to look at Isaac. No, he did not want anything to happen to Liam, the boy did not deserve anything bad, he had already suffered.

"He did not stay in his bed last night. He's gone." Isaac said. If Theo had been in the room he would have noticed it, he blamed himself.

"Well have you told Scott- I mean Mr. McCal?" The director asked.

“No. I thought I’d come to you first.” Isaac replied, calmly.

"Well tell Mr. McCall I want to see him here. Immediately! Go on!" The director said, he was worried.

"Yes, sir." Isaac said, before running out of the room again.

Theo was in the car with his father driving and his stepmother... smoking. They were leaving school, but his mind was still there, searching for Liam, searching for the only friend he had.

"When we get back... Can I please jump out in town? I really need to do something." Theo asked, looking at his father. He had a plan.

"You must be kidding..." His father replied, not looking at him.

"Look, Dad, I know I'm in trouble, but I would not ask if it was ever vital." Theo said. He remembered what made Liam happy.

"Not only are you not jumping out, Theo, you are massively unbelievably grounded until we can figure out what to do with you." His father said angrily. Theo let out a sigh, it seemed like it would be harder than he'd expected. They had arrived in the city and if his father was not going to cooperate with him, he would do it his way. Then he reached the side and took his backpack, the car still moving, he waited. When the car stopped at the traffic light he opened the door and started to run. He heard his father shouting his name, but he did not care, he just needed to get somewhere, he knew where Liam was.  
  


_'Liam was always running. I could not understand it, but now I finally got it. You have to know that you're running in the right direction.'_ Theo thought. The cars passing by him as he ran toward the best person he'd ever met.

Theo took a train and arrived at a station he thought was the closest to the place. He went down the stairs and jumped a wall and kept running. He could hear the waves crashing on the rocks and the seagulls. The sun was setting, but he still had time. He arrived on a pier and it had many boats, he was looking for only one, he looked at all but they were with the light off, only one was with the light on. "Hello?" He asked, getting into the boat and opening the door quietly. Liam was sitting there, staring at the floor. "Can I come in?"

"What do you want?" Liam asked, not looking at him.

"I want to apologize... for being a terrible friend." Theo said quietly.

Liam looked up and stared at him. "So you knew about me all along." He said.

Theo nodded. "I'm so sorry, Liam..." He said, pulling his bag close, it was not really his bag, he had stolen one of Liam's bags so that later the boy would have to talk to him . "I want you to play. There's still time."

"You said that that wasn't you team. You've never even seen us play before." Liam said, looking at the floor again.

"Yeah look - I was wrong. Okay?" Theo said, looking at the boy, the light on the boat lit his eyes gently.

"Not everything..." Liam said, looking at him.

"You don't have to pick a side, Liam. You don't have to be one thing or the other. You can be everything." Theo said.

"I'm not sure I can play for them. For Brett. For the Coach." Liam said, frowning.

"It's not for them! You're not playing for them. You're playing for us. It's my team if you're playing for it. Reveal to them who you are. If you dare..." Theo said, smiling.

"If you dare..." Liam repeated, smiling too. "Our team, yeah." He said, before getting up from the chair and running toward Theo, he hugged the boy for the first time and then let go, the two of them ran across the pier toward the final.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥


	14. Truth is the best thing that ever existed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! ♥

They ran until they got tired, but they got there. The game was already happening, Liam saw the score and Beacon Hills College had zero points, they were losing. He and Theo walked into the locker room and waited. On game break, his team started to enter the locker room. One by one they were joining side by side, staring at him and Theo.

Liam looked at Theo, he had a small smile on his face and arms crossed. That made him smile too. The coach took a few steps forward and cleared his throat. "Liam. What can we do for you?" Scott asked.

"Late again. Sorry about that, lads..." Liam said, ironically.

"Your mind is shot, right? You're all over the place. I understand that." The coach said, looking at them.

"How is it shot?" Liam asked, confused.

"Well... at this point... we all heard about the thing..." The coach said, looking at the other boys.

Liam smiled. "The thing?" He asked.

"The thing..." The coach repeated, looking at him.

Liam smiled even more. "The thing?" He asked.

"The thing! The thing! The thing! Lookit, it's not your fault, but you can not fit into this team." Scott said.

"Since when?" Liam asked, frowning.

"Since- lookit, you're incompatible." The coach said, his voice failing.

"Incompatible according to who?" Liam asked, putting his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt.

"Us." The coach said, looking at the players, but they were head down. "According to all of us. Is not that right, lads?" But no one answered.

Liam smiled. "I don't know if you heard why I left my old school..." He said.

"Yeah. We heard you got in some fights." Jackson said, looking at him.

"...and I don't know if you heard why I was fighting." Liam said and everyone stared at him. He let out a loud sigh. "I was fighting everyone who found out who I was, who I am. Every last one of them. But... they kept coming. I could not stop them coming, and I could not fight them all. I could not stay and keep denying it so I ran away, to our school... Thing is, lads... I'd like to stop running away, you know. I'm done with that. Thanks to Theo here... you all know who I am." He said, looking at Theo smiling and then at the other boys. "I'm the same me I always was and I really really want to be a part of this team. I'm here, and I'm ready to play. So... if you want me on your side, just..." He said, but could not finish.

The coach cleared his throat and folded his arms. "Brett has been filling in at ten and doing a perfectly good job." He said.

"C'mon Scott..." Jackson said.

"No I haven't, Scott." Brett said with folded arms.

"Believe in yourself, boy." Scott said.

"I believe I'm fucking shit at out-half." Brett said. "I'm a winger and you know it." he said, before beginning to walk to Liam and Theo's side.

"Come on, Scott. Just put Brett on the wing." Isaac said.

"Well that's a pity, Isaac, 'cos Brett has just put himself on the bench!" The coach responded. "There is one coach on this team. One voice. Not fifteen! You hear me?" He shouted, pointing a finger at Liam. "Do you hear me, Isaac?" He asked, looking at the boy and he lowered his head.

The boy smiled and then walked toward Theo, standing beside him. "Congratulations Isaac, you're off the team and all!" The coach said. But then Nolan and Gabe walked toward Liam. "Nolan, Gabe, you're both subbed off, you pair of eejits." Scott said.

"You pair of fucking tools." The coach said, shaking his head. "Lads, I'm sorry, but this lot ruined your hard work for this year."

Liam smiled when he saw what the other players had understood. And then, Jackson walked toward them. "Anyone else walks over to that side and they're gone too." Scott said, desperate. And Corey started to walk. "I'll forfeit the game if I have to!" The coach shouted.

And then all the other boys started to walk together. "That's enough I said! You hear me?" Scott said, none of the players were on his side. Liam looked from side to side, everyone was standing next to him, looking at the coach.

"Some boys don't play rugby. What about those boys? Liam already understood that and apologized. I hope someday you'll understand too, Coach." Theo said, looking at the coach.  
  


That day, Liam played alongside his teammates as he had never played before. They cooperated with each other, passing the ball to each other. And gradually the score of zero was gaining new numbers. With every number he listened to his school celebrating, shouting and clapping, it gave life to him, still more to know that among so many people, there was Theo, smiling, wearing a team shirt and screaming, that filled the his heart with joy, but the game was ending, they were almost tied, with the difference of only one point. It was the last chance, Brett had the ball in his hand and they heard the coach scream for him to kick, but instead, Brett looked at Liam and threw the ball toward him. He took a deep breath and put the ball down, he remembered all the kicks he already missed, he did not want it to be another, that was the only chance. He kicked and watched the ball fly towards the target. Slowly the screams began and he smiled. The kick had been perfect.

He felt his teammates hug him and shout his name, but he left as fast as he could and ran toward the bleachers. He saw the coach crying and Isaac kissed his face, the coach hugged the boy smiling. He also saw Mr. Hale in the bleachers, kissing the same boy as before, Stiles, they were next to the director who just smiled and kept clapping. The crowd was screaming, but he was looking for only one person and then there he was. Theo, running down the stairs toward him, when they got close enough the two of them hugged each other, smiling.

Liam grabbed the boy's cheeks and kissed the boy's lips quickly. He did what his heart asked him to do, he would not deny a request from the heart, but the boy just looked surprised, looking at him, but then a smile formed on his face. And then Theo kissed Liam again, this time longer. They paused for a moment and hugged each other again, but soon they felt the other boys of the team running to embrace the two. The screams echoed in his ears, but he did not care, he was with his best friend and the love of his life, the one person who cared the most in the world and he would not have to hide it anymore.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥


	15. The happiest essay that life could bring me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it. It's the last chapter. ♥

“We all have that one thing we’re ashamed of. A memory of one moment so embarrassing we don’t know if we’ll ever be able to forget it. Single moments when, not only do we betray everyone around us, but we betray ourselves too in the most terrible way.” Theo read his essay, he was in the national essay contest, in front of a microphone and looking at the audience, but he was not afraid, not anymore.

_'Yes, we all have that moment. But the pain of remembering the embarrassment begins to fade eventually, with the help of a good friend. I’ll never forget that game for as long as I live. Liam was everywhere. Everyone noticed it. The determination to shut people up. To prove them wrong. What he was feeling spread throughout the team like a fever. People talked about it for months afterwards.’_ Theo thought, remembering the game that changed his life. He remembered how happy he was watching the boy play, his best friend and eventually the love of his life.

After the game, Liam did not hide anymore what he was. Like Mr. Hale, the teacher he did not know was also on his side, they both had the courage to dare. Rugby players have apologized, including Brett. His parents did not punish him for everything that happened, because the principal told them everything he did. And the coach talked to the principal too, they decided to create a project that would encourage boys who did not want to play rugby, it seems he learned his lesson.

“Like I said. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over the embarrassment and the shame of what I did. But in a way, some good did come out of it...” He  was reading his essay and looked at Liam, who was smiling at him in the audience.

_‘That year, everyone in school learned the same lesson. Not to speak in a borrowed voice. You know, one single year before... I’d have given everything I owned for that kick to be missed... But people change.’_ Theo thought.

'You must be asking yourself. 'Is this the end of the story?' But no, this is the beginning of the story. Be ashamed, but do not be ashamed of who you are. Because despite the things you can do when you are scared, if you only have one person at your side, you will be able to face an entire rugby team. Well, now I have to live my life next to Liam, he is the one who will be by my side to face the necessary, but until you find that person, have courage, lads. Reveal to the people who you are. If you dare." He thought, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all the comments and all the people who have read so far. I appreciate each one of you. It was fun to write about something I like and share with you all. I love you and again, thank you. ♥

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. If you could comment, I'd love to read.


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